In late 2016, former governor Sarah Palin accused president-elect Donald Trump of taking part in crony capitalism. The accusation came after a deal Trump made with an air conditioning company to keep a number of jobs in the United States.

Many believe Trump used his new powers to sway the deal, which involved $7 million dollars in incentives to the company. A deal like this has the potential to become favoritism, which is the basis of crony capitalism.